OSR a step by step guide if possible please

[warts]

OK, I now have a field of OSR 20' from my hive. last year it was 1/2 a mile away, and it all went horribly wrong as I didn't manage to get it all out in time before it set (and it set good and proper). So can anybody please point me in the right direction as to how to get it right this year (now have my own battered but functional extractor, so don't have to wait to borrow one). As I see it, it is;

step 1 - remove before all capped, but do the jolt test to make sure no drips come out (water content not too high), if OK then...

Step 2 - take home and extract that evening

step 3 - leave overnight in a settling tank to let air bubble rise (is this correct?)

step 4 - (and this is where I really need advice, as I would like to try and keep this honey liquid if possible), bottle, and put jars in a bain marie, but for how long and what temp should the water be (assuming it is possible)

step 5 - return empty frames to bees for them to clean out


Is the above correct and / or can you fill in the missing info for step 4?

Also, cheeky I know, but there are only so many times I can get this wrong (ego, I'm afraid), will the bees clean the frames out enough not to contaminate the next lot and therefore it granulate sooner rather than later (does this make sense?).

Finally, if it is possible to keep OSR honey liquid, how long will it stay liquid before it goes the way of my crop last year?

Many thanks in advance

Sally

 

[Poly Hive]

Have you got a honey warmer?

PH

 

[warts]

Have you got a honey warmer?

PH

Hi PH
Sadly not...do I need one? Should I get my hammer and nails out (oh god, this is so not going to be pretty!)

 

[Poly Hive]

No need for hammer and nails, obtain a disused fridge or deep freeze and mod to become a warmer.

PH

 

[SixFooter]

My bees are all next to rape this year as it's everywhere. I'm in my third year, but got no honey year 1 and there was no rape around last year. This is my first experience of extracting rape honey. I was under the impression that it needed to be creamed. Can you get away with just warming it then?

 

[Poly Hive]

Sadly no, and to work with it you really need to be able to take it back to liquid, hence the warmer.

PH

 

[warts]

Hi PH
OK, let's assume I can get hold of a disused fridge or deep freezer. What do I do next?

Thanks
Sally

 

[Springer]

No need for hammer and nails, obtain a disused fridge or deep freeze and mod to become a warmer.

PH

Please excuse the lack of knowledge here, but where's the warming come in on the plot Poly. ?
Not go round to thinking about extracting yet ,but there's load of rape around my pair of hives but they won't take it upstairs, only new foundation up there, but they are cramming out the brood boxes ?
S

 

[Poly Hive]

Let me sleep on it and I will draft something tomorrow on how to manage OSR honey minus pump and tank.

I used to cream some 2 tons a year, and it is easy with the kit... with out takes a bit of thought.

PH

 

[Cazza]

If you don't have the kit or the time, you don't have to cream the OSR honey.
It's my main harvest here. I let it settle for a day and then jar it without creaming. My customers can't get enough of it without any need for warming etc.
You just have to be vigilant and extract before it sets.
Cazza

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I think someone showed this on the forum before and I found it quite useful, hope it helps....

How do I deal with Oil Seed Rape (OSR) honey

The problem with OSR honey is that is sets incredible hard and quickly, so hard it will bend spoons. If it sets in the honey comb then it will not be possible to extract it at all.
You must allow it to set before you jar it, that way you can process it before it’s a problem. You will need a 4 inch honey stirrer* that fits into a powerful (750+ Watt) electric drill.

Keep the honey in bulk containers and let it set solid this may take 2 weeks to 2 months but it will set.

Once set, warm it in a warming cabinet until you can JUST get the stirrer in and then cream it for a good 5 minutes. Make sure to get into the corners of the container and try to avoid stirring in air as it will cause unsightly foam in the jar.

Tips:

a) Honey must not be overheated and 40 Watt light bulb in a warming cabinet takes about 48hours to condition 70lb of honey ready for creaming.

b) All stirrers push honey down with a normal drill but some drills can run in reverse and this direction reduces the tendency to draw in a air.

Allow the resultant creamed honey to settle for a few days, a week is good, this ensures that most of the air has risen to the top.

Honey treated like this will remain beautifully creamy for a very long time.

.......................................................................................................


How do I build warming cabinet

Obtain an old refrigerator, with a good front door ie seals intact. Due to regulations about disposing of refrigerant gas it is best to obtain one already degassed from your local waste disposal agent. The compressor is not required and can be removed. Connect a lamp holder at the lowest point in the fridge and fit no greater than a 40w lamp.
If you want to be flash you can connect a thermostat such as one used in a domestic hot water tank. These have a temperature range between 20C-90C and work just fine in air, fit it 2/3 up or leave it in the door and set to 35-40C.
A piece of wood fitted directly above the lamp to prevent a local hot spot and you now have a warming cabinet.

............................................................

Follow the link for more detail advice :-

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gandboss/BeeginnersFAQ/Honey/1HoneyFrame.htm


Brian

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

OSR honey will not stay liquid, and while you dont have to cream it, that should stop it turning rock hard.

Rooftops has posted a couple of time a good method for creaming, eg
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1616

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

OSR honey will not stay liquid, and while you dont have to cream it, that should stop it turning rock hard.

Rooftops has posted a couple of time a good method for creaming, eg
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1616

That's all well and good if you have some other exceptable honey to seed it with!!!

This will be my first season extracting honey and at the monent they are are on OSR.
So that's what I will soon have to deal with along with i'm sure a few other first time beekeepers...

Brian

 

[Poly Hive]

This is how I did it.

Extract honey when dry enough, check with refractometer.

Warm and then filter as best you can. I ran it through my spinner.

Allow to set off.

Warm enough to remove ALL the crystals, filter again if you have to to ensure this. Seed with appropriate honey and stir it, probably best with a drill and attachment (I pumped it for 12 hours) allow to set again. Warm and jar.

The big issue for many is getting the seed. I started with a jar from Struan Apiaries and obviously once you have a batch creamed to your idea of perfection then keep some as seed. If it is for your own or family consumption then you could use a jar of Gales to start it off as it has a very fine crystal in it.

PH

 

[warts]

thanks and a final question...

Thanks all of you for your ideas / links etc. I will soft cream it when it comes in (which won't be long now). For some reason I thought I had seen somewhere that it could be kept liquid if warmed pretty soon after removing, but suspect I may have mixed up the info.

Just one final question, will the bees clean out the frames enough so that there is nothing left in them to affect the next lot of nectar going in? (I am just worried that the post OSR crop may end up setting sooner because of this.)


Again, thank you


Sally

 

[thurrock bees]

Hi, i get OSR every year, i extract it once its ready but before its capped , do the shake test, filter it tho a course siff and bucket it. When i need it to jar up, i place on a home made warming cabinet, fridge with a bulb is just fine tho, 12-24 hours later its back to its liquid state and ready for filterring tho a very fine siff but allowing to stand over night to allow the air bubbles to raise before jarring and half hour in the bain maire at 50oC , label and sell.

My customers cant get enough of it.

 

[warts]

Thanks Thurrock,
Definitely worth a go, and I am keen to to get this right this year...now better get working on putting together a warming cabinet

Sally

 

[RoofTops]

Hmmm... the above description proves people will eat anything but OSR needs to be set with fine crystals to be at its best. Look at PH's description about seeding with fine set honey. The difference between a well set OSR honey and one that has set naturally is striking although the presence of other honeys in the mix can alter this and improve things- but that is leaving things to chance.

I made my first fine grained honey by grinding a coarse set one a few spoonfuls at a time in a pestle and mortar. You only need to do about a pound and then mix it with about 3 or 4 pounds of liquified honey at about 35C. Stick it in the 'fridge and it will be set by next morning - or do it in the winter or use freezer packs - as I am now to get the temperature down.

Then warm to about 35C and stir into the main batch, assuming a ratio of not less than 10%. Stir once or twice a day until it gets too thick. Keep below 14C and in a few days the result will have the consistency of peanut butter - but taste like proper honey.

 

[thurrock bees]

i do produce some soft set honey, but the runny honey out sells massively. by putting jarred honeyin a bain maire it stays runny for about 4-5 months.


If you do get set honey in comb, cut the comb out place in a bucket and put it in a warming cabinet and the pour the honey out and though a sive leaving wax on top.

here some pictures of my warming cabinet posted on this wonderful forum...

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3002

 

[drex]

This is how I did it.

Extract honey when dry enough, check with refractometer.

Warm and then filter as best you can. I ran it through my spinner.

Allow to set off.

Warm enough to remove ALL the crystals, filter again if you have to to ensure this. Seed with appropriate honey and stir it, probably best with a drill and attachment (I pumped it for 12 hours) allow to set again. Warm and jar.

The big issue for many is getting the seed. I started with a jar from Struan Apiaries and obviously once you have a batch creamed to your idea of perfection then keep some as seed. If it is for your own or family consumption then you could use a jar of Gales to start it off as it has a very fine crystal in it.

PH

PH.

I want to follow your method, as using seed honey makes sense to me and seems to be in the majority of opinion on the forum.

You say " allow to set off". My OSR honey is now setting, clouding and stiffening but still just stirrable and I can certainly feel the crystals on my tongue. Can I warm this to dissolve the crystals now, then seed, or do I have to wait for it to set rock hard, heat to dissolve crystals, then seed - the latter does not make sense to me, but then I have never actually done this before